A day after BJP’s mammoth rally organised for the filing of nomination papers of its candidate Umesh Jadhav, Congress responded with a similar show of strength in Kalaburagi on Thursday for the filing of nomination papers of its candidate M. Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kalaburagi was stuck with traffic diversions and jams for the whole day as heavy crowd filled all the arterial roads. The scorching summer heat was not a deterrent to emotionally-charged Kharge fans. They raised slogans and waved party flags in a 7-km procession from Nagareshwar School to SVP Chowk.
Mr. Kharge prepared for the rally previous night by visiting Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah and Sharana Basaveshwara Temple, the two religious landmarks of the city.
A host of leaders — including KPCC Working president Eshwar Khandre, Ministers Rahim Khan, Rajashekhar Patil Humnabad and Priyank Kharge, MLAs Ajay Singh, M.Y. Patil, B. Narayana Rao, Kaneez Fatima, former minister Sharan Prakash Patil, party leaders Allamaprabhu Patil, Tippannappa Kamaknoor, Baburao Chowhan, K.B. Shanappa — participated in the rally. Fans and party workers welcomed Mr. Kharge and other leaders as they approach Jagat Circle by offering a gigantic apple-garland.
‘BJP has no moral right’
Unleashing a verbal attack against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Kharge said that the saffron party had no moral right to seek votes.
“We have done a lot for Hyderabad Karnataka in general and Kalaburagi in particular — right from establishing ESIC Medical Hub, Central University, Police Training School, Airport, High Court bench through expansion of road network to the according Special Status to Hyderabad Karnataka region under Article 371(J). I am confidently seeking your votes as we have done good work. With what face would the BJP come to you for votes when it did nothing for you? Even the Gulbarga-Bidar railway line which was inaugurated by Mr. Modi in Bidar without even inviting me was almost completed in my tenure as Railway Minister,” he said amid cheering crowd.
Terming his rival BJP candidate Umesh Jadhav a kid, the Congress veteran said that Mr. Modi had picked up Congress kid and kept on his lap to play a politics.
“Modi government has written off corporate loans to the tune of ₹2,50,000 crore to help a few businessmen and industrialists. But, it did not waive farmers’ loans. It fulfilled none of the pre-poll promises, be it bringing back the black money to give ₹15 lakh to every citizen or employing 2 crore youth every year. Let alone providing jobs, it created the worst unemployment crisis in the last 45 years as pointed by the National Sample Survey. Mr. Modi’s speeches did not fill the bellies of people, but Congress’ programmes had done it,” he said.
